Taliban threatens Sar-i-Pul City, captures district in Jawzjan
The Taliban overran the Kham Ab district center in Jawzjan province in the last 24 hours as the group continues to pressure Afghan forces in the north.
Tag Archives: Taliban
Mapping Taliban controlled and contested districts in Afghanistan: LWJ vs US military assessments
The New York Times map compares assessments from the US military and FDD’s Long War Journal on Taliban controlled and contested districts in Afghanistan.
Taliban announces death of Jalaluddin Haqqani
Jalaluddin fought the Soviets, served as the Minister of Frontiers during the Taliban rule of Afghanistan from 1996-2001, was a member of the Taliban’s Quetta Shura, or governing body, and father of Sirajuddin Haqqani, one of the Taliban’s two deputy emirs and overall military commander.
Faryab capital under Taliban threat as Afghan troops desert bases
Afghan military officers said there are no problems in Faryab and that the abandonment of the bases was all part of plan.
Analysis: Losing a War
The Trump administration is desperately trying to negotiate with the Taliban’s senior leadership. The Obama administration did as well, with the effort ending in a diplomatic fiasco.
Afghan forces cede Faryab district to the Taliban
The Afghan military continues to struggle to hold onto districts in remote areas of the country. The fall of Ghormach was all but certain after the Taliban overran a large base in the district on Aug. 11 and killed and captured nearly 100 Afghan soldiers.
Islamic State’s emir for its Khorasan province reported killed
Bajauri’s death is likely to be touted as a strategic blow to Khorasan province. However, the US military has killed the three previous leaders in the span of 25 months, and yet the group has expanded its operations.
Al Qaeda leader argues Taliban’s ‘blessed emirate’ a core part of new caliphate
Al Qaeda has released a new message from its emir, Ayman al Zawahiri, who argues that the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is a core part of a new, imagined caliphate.
Taliban video shows fighters on captured Afghan base in Baghlan
Like many other similar Taliban videos that show the aftermath of successful assaults on military bases and outposts, the Taliban fighters are seen walking throughout the base in broad daylight, without fear of being targeted by Afghan or Resolute Support aircraft.
Analysis: Gen. Nicholson says US strategy in Afghanistan ‘is working,’ despite the facts
At a Pentagon press conference, General Nicholson again gave a Pollyannish assessment of the state of Afghanistan. He claimed the peace process is working and the Taliban’s offensive is failing, and took credit for a Taliban victory over the Islamic State.
In Afghan north, another district falls to the Taliban
The fall of the northern district of Bilchiragh in Faryab province, is part of a disturbing pattern of Afghan forces being surrounded by the Taliban and then either overwhelmed or forced to surrender.
Taliban fighters loot district center in Ghazni
In what has become an all too familiar scene in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters celebrated their victory and looted a district center in broad daylight, without fear of reprisal.
Taliban leader demands US withdraw from Afghanistan, blasts government as ‘corrupt regime’
The Taliban has released a new statement attributed to its emir, Hibatullah Akhundzada, who says there will only be “peace” when America leaves Afghanistan. Akhundzada blasts the current Afghan government as a “corrupt regime” and portrays the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as the only legitimate authority.
Taliban occupied Ghazni City police station as Resolute Support claimed city was under Afghan control
The Taliban occupied a police station in Ghazni City and looted the facility even as Resolute Support claimed the entire city was under Afghan government control.
Taliban overruns another base in north as it withdraws from Ghazni City
The Taliban never slowed in launching numerous attacks across the country even as it committed significant resources to the fight in Ghazni.
Resolute Support obscures status of 7 Ghazni districts as 3 more fall to Taliban
In addition to Ajristan and Khwaja Umar, the districts of Nawur, Jaghatu, and Deh Yak have fallen to the Taliban. Meanwhile, Resolute Support has intentionally misled the the public about the status of seven of Ghazni’s districts. Resolute Support claimed these districts were under government control; in reality the Taliban physically controlled the terrain while the Afghan government operated the government remotely from Ghazni City.
Foreign fighters involved in assault on Ghazni, Afghan defense minister says
Al Qaeda has long operated in Ghazni province, the site of a large-scale Taliban offensive in recent days. In 2010, Osama bin Laden ordered his men to relocate from northern Pakistan into Ghazni and other Afghan provinces. Bin Laden’s lieutenant also wrote in mid-2010 that al Qaeda had “very strong military activity” in at least eight Afghan provinces, including Ghazni. More recently, American and Afghan forces have targeted al Qaeda operatives in the province.
Video from Ghazni City shows Taliban on streets as buildings ablaze
Meanwhile, Resolute Support continues its claim Ghazni City is under Afghan control and uses Taliban body counts as a measure of success.
Taliban seizes second district in Ghazni as provincial capital remains contested
The current fighting in and around Ghazni City indicates that the Taliban has a detailed plan to tie up Afghan forces while attempting to seize the provincial capital. Additionally, the Taliban was able to mass its forces undetected; the Afghan military was clearly caught off guard and is struggling to get into the fight four days after the Taliban launched its attack.
Ghazni City remains under assault, despite RS assurances
Resolute Support initially described the attack on Ghazni City as a “failed attempt” that would be used by the press to generate sensational headlines. Two days later, Afghan forces are still battling entrenched Taliban fighters inside the city, and the vital Kabul-Kandahar remains severed. Battles such as the one in Ghazni, reveal a disturbing pattern of misinformation and deception by Resolute Support when it comes to assessing and reporting on the Taliban’s attacks on major cities as well as its assaults on district centers.
Ghazni City up for grabs after coordinated Taliban assault
Both the Afghan government (and Resolute Support) and the Taliban claim they control the city. The Afghan government and Resolute Support have proven unreliable in the past when it denied that the Taliban twice took control of Kunduz City, as well as Farah City earlier this year.
Afghan forces target al Qaeda commanders in Helmand and Nangarhar
The raids in Helmand and Nangarhar indicate that al Qaeda’s leaders are not focused on its survival. Al Mesri was focused on manufacturing IEDs to support the Taliban’s insurgency in Helmand, while Rahmatullah and his cohorts were operating in Nangarhar’s provincial capital.
Taliban suicide bomber kills 3 Czech soldiers
The Taliban remains active in Parwan, where it contested five of the provinces 10 districts. One American and two Afghan soldiers were also wounded in the suicide attack.
Taliban says Islamic State has been ‘completely defeated’ in Jawzjan
The complex Taliban operation that was designed to eject the Islamic State from Jawzjan highlights the Taliban’s ability to coordinate and mass for attacks in the Afghan north. However it is unlikely that the Islamic State has been “completely defeated” in the north.
Resolute Support invents new terms to obfuscate Taliban control
Resolute Support continues to invent new terminology to obfuscate the extent of Taliban control in Afghanistan.
Taliban overruns 2 districts in eastern Afghanistan
The Taliban takeover of the Paktika districts of Omna and Gayan occur as US generals attempt to put a positive spin on the Afghan military’s capabilities.
Afghan military suffers significant casualties since end of government’s ceasefire
An estimated 150 Afghan security personnel (soldiers, policemen, and militia fighters) have been killed in major Taliban attacks over the past two weeks.
NATO command touts body count of ‘Taliban irreconcilables’
The press release also described the Taliban who are being targeted and killed as “Taliban irreconcilables.” However, Resolute Support has yet to identify any reconcilable Taliban.
Islamic State releases photos from Jowzjan battles with the Taliban
The photo-set is at least the second this month showing clashes with the Taliban in the Afghan north.
Taliban, Islamic State continue battle in northern Afghanistan
The rise of the Islamic State in Jawzjan province over the past year has threatened the Taliban’s operations in the Afghan north.